Who it represents#
Who Cares? Scotland calls itself Scotland's only national independent membership organisation for care-experienced people. By care-experienced it means anyone who is or has been in care for any length of time, at any age: kinship care, looked after at home with social work help, residential or secure care, foster care, or adoption. It has more than 3,700 members across Scotland, and its campaigns, including for lifelong rights, are shaped by them. It also trains corporate parents and runs groups, events and Care Experienced Week.
Advocacy for children and young people#
Its advocates, called Advocacy and Participation Workers, work one to one with care-experienced children and young people, independently of any care service. They can tell you your rights, help you prepare for and take part in meetings, reviews and Children's Hearings, speak with you or for you to social workers, carers, panel members or teachers, and help you raise a concern or complaint. It has advocates in 28 of Scotland's local authority areas, and is one of the providers of the free advocacy now open to every child attending a Children's Hearing. You can ask for an advocate, for yourself or someone else, through the referral form on its site.
The Helpline, at any age#
Who Cares? Scotland believes advocacy should be lifelong, which is why it set up the Helpline for care-experienced people of any age in Scotland. It helps with money, such as rent or council tax arrears and grants, with housing and homelessness, and with connecting to its other services. It is open on weekdays from 12 noon to 4pm by phone, and takes email and online messages; it warns that a first message is not encrypted, so keep personal details out of it until it replies. If it cannot help, it finds who can. If you are under 26, it suggests first checking whether it has an advocate in your area.
Corporate parents#
Its page on corporate parents explains a duty under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. Bodies listed in the Act, including councils, health boards, the police, colleges and universities, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Ministers, must assess your needs, promote your interests, and help you take part in what they offer, including helping you make appointments, register for services and complete applications. So if you change your name, it is reasonable to ask a council, college or health board for that kind of help with updating its records.
Changing your name in Scotland#
Who Cares? Scotland publishes nothing on names, and the rules in Scotland differ from England's:
- Born or adopted in Scotland? From 16 you can record a change of name with National Records of Scotland, and the change then appears on your birth record. Anyone living in Scotland can use a deed poll or a statutory declaration instead.
- For a child, the people with parental responsibilities must take the child's views into account, at any age, before a major decision. Changing a child's name in Scotland explains the forms and consents.
Changing your name in Scotland sets the NRS record beside a deed poll and a statutory declaration, and Citizens Advice Scotland has its own guide, including a warning that the NRS record is public.
This page describes what Who Cares? Scotland publishes on its own website, read on 26 October 2026. Who Cares? Scotland has not reviewed it, and listing a charity here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
